Rail joint



A. E. HILL RAIL JOINT April 7, 1936.

, Filed July 3, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l I 5mm Awer-zzizd,

A 7, 1936. v A. E. HILL 2,036,633

RAIL JOINT Filed July 3, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a rail joint by means of which different weights or sizes of rails may be readily coupled together with the ball surfaces in a common plane; to provide a rail joint in which the parts may be constructed by a rolling process, as distinguished from a casting process, so that the rolled parts may have the high tensile strength of rolled metal, rather than the low tensile strength of cast metal; to provide a device of the kind indicated which includes a filler member, designed to increase its pressure on the rail or on the coupling member with an intensity that is disp-roportional to that which would ordinarily obtain on a tightening operation of thecoupling member; to provide a rail joint in which the filler member constitutes the only member to be replaced in the event of wear; to provide a rail joint readily susceptible of insulation, and comparatively cheap to manufacture.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a construction and combination of parts of which preferred embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a rail joint constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views on the planes 2-2 and 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showthe joint insulated.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of a filler plate.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of the filler plate.

Figure '7 is a View similar to Figure 2, but showing the reversible coupling plate.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing a modified form.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the filler block.

The invention is applicable for use to couple two light rails, or two different sizes or weight of rails, as the rails I l1 and I I so as to keep their ball surfaces in a common plane. The rails are brought end to end and are coupled together by the coupling bars I2 which are comparatively of great length, so that they may overlap the ends of the rails to receive the several bolts l3 and M which pass through them and the webs of the rails. But

weight, the filler block omits a foot portion, with which it is otherwise provided, and has its lower edge bearing upon the upper edge of the rail flange with which the foot portion of the coupling bar is also in contact, said foot portion being formed with an outturned laterally extending lip Where the rails are different sizes, as in the illustration in the drawings, the filler block is formed with a coupling bar lift member l8 which 10 rests upon top of flange of the larger rail and receives on its upper face the foot portion of the coupling bar. Where the filler block is equipped with the lift member, the latter is coextensive with the coupling bar for all that portion of the same engaging the larger rail. If the rails have the same size balls, there is no variation of the lip l6 of the filler block, but where the small rail ball has the less depth, as in the illustrated connection of rails, the lip I6 is thickened on that portion engaging the smaller rail by an amount equal to the difference in depth of the two rail balls. This arrangement provides for parallelism of the coupling bar and rail balls where different sizes of rails are connected.

If light rails are coupled the lip 16 is of uniform thickness and the lift I 8 is omitted, as in the filler block shown in Figures 5 and 6. But whether the lip is of uniform or dual thickness, it is normally bowed slightly in the direction of the length of the block so that the peak point H5 falls at the juncture line of the connected rails. Likewise the block is bowed slightly longitudinally, so that the peak point I6 will be at the center on the back face to engage the rail webs at the line of juncture. When the bolts I4 are tightened, the tendency is to straighten out the bend in the block as well as to do likewise with the lip by raising of the wedging action of the coupling bar. Tightening the bolts [3 bows the coupling bars longitudinally by reason of the spaces between them and the rail webs beyond the ends of the blocks. This construction provides for quick tightening of the joint when necessary, which in a majority of instances, can be accomplished by tightening one or both of the bolts l3.

When insulated joints are desired, fibre insulating sheets l9 are interposed between the filler blocks I5 and the coupling bars I2, the filler blocks being reduced in thickness in an amount equal to the thickness of the insulating sheets, the latter extending downwardly between the feet of the coupling bars and the rail flanges. The bolts M are also insulated by fibre bushings 20 and strips 2|, the strips being preferably metal sheathed underneath the bolt heads and underneath the nuts, as indicated at 22.

If desired, the coupling bars may be of the form shown at l2 (Fig. 7), in which reversely disposed lips 23 are formed at opposite edges, so that the bearing foot is provided at either edge of the coupling bar to permit its inversion and reuse in case of wear. With the form of bar shown at li the complemental filler block is employed whose front Wall is slotted to provide a seat for the lip 23, the filler block lip 24 being of cross-sectionally triangular shape to bear against the under side of the rail ball and the downwardly inclined top edge of the coupling rail.

In the event of wear, where the filler block and coupling bar are of the form shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, it may be compensated for by inserting a thin metal shim 25 between the coupling bar l2 andthe filler block Hi, the shim extending over the full area of the filler block and around under the lip I6.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In combination with end abutting rails, a joint comprising coupling ears spanning the rail ends on opposite sides, fiiler blocks interposed between the coupling bars and the rails and having their inner faces contacting with the webs of the rails and their outer faces contacting with the coupling bars, and fasteners connecting the coupling bars through the rail webs, the filler blocks being materially shorter than the coupling bars but spanning the rail ends, the filler blocks being bowed in the direction of their length with the peaks of the bows on the back faces at the line of juncture of the rail webs.

2. In combination with end abutting rails, a joint comprising coupling bars spanning the rail ends on opposite sides, filler blocks interposed between the coupling bars and the rails and having their inner faces contacting with the webs of the rails and their outer faces contacting the coupling bars, and fasteners connecting the coupling bars through the rail webs, the filler blocks being materially shorter than the coupling bars but spanning the rail ends, the filler blocks being bowed in the direction of their length and provided with out-turned longitudinally bowed lips interposed between the coupling bars and the rail balls, with peak of the bow at the line of junci ture of the balls, the peaks of the bows of the blocks abutting the rail webs at the line oi juncture.

3. A joint coupling for rails of different size, including a coupling bar bridging the meeting ends of the rails, and a filler block interposed between the coupling bar and rails and bridging the rail joint, said filler block overlying the coupling bar with regions of diiferent thickness to compensate for the different distances between the upper end of said coupling bar and the under side of the rail heads of different-sized rails, that part of the filler block cooperating with the rail of greater height having a foot extension to underlie the lower edge of the coup-ling bar to provide a bearing for such coupling bar substantially on a plane with the bearing for such bar on the rail of less height.

4. A filler block for connecting rails of different sizes, including a bar having the upper end outturned, that part of the bar arranged for cooperation with the rail of less height being extended above the remaining portion, and that portion of the bar for cooperation with the rail of greaterheight having a foot portion to underlie a coupling bar, whereby to permit utilization of a coupling bar of conventional proportions and completely fill otherwise unfilled spaces by the filler block incident to the different proportions of the rails.

ALBERT E. HILL. 

